Thu Nov 12, 2020 11:47 PM
Thu Nov 12, 2020 02:50 PM
Clinging to power by claiming you are the victim of internal enemies is a very dangerous tactic.
Thu Nov 12, 2020 11:47 PM
From @[100001888413631:2048:Leslie Rochell] “The importance of this finding cannot be overstated. The authoritarian lean of the GOP really started with the Tea Party, and Mitch McConnell’s very undemocratic blocking of Merrick Garland and his continued abuse of his power are part of this.
These officials created the environment in which a Trump candidacy was possible. Had Trump emerged on the scene in 2000, 2004, or 2008 it is extremely unlikely he would have gained any traction, given the Republican Party’s orientation toward small-d democratic principles.
It’s becoming increasingly clear by multiple measures that the partisan shift is not a symmetric phenomenon – what the report describes “asymmetric drift.” The Democrats are pretty much where they’ve been for the past 20 years. Trump, McConnell, and the Tea Party have taken us away from democratic principles.
This is going to frustrate a Biden administration’s work. The Senate he’s hoping to work with doesn’t exist anymore, in large part thanks to Mitch McConnell, who basically only ever acts in bad faith.
But this is work that needs to be done outside as well as inside the halls of government. Advocacy groups and educational organizations will have a responsibility to re-introduce concepts of civics as well as notions like the importance of cooperation and fair play in maintaining a democracy to an increasingly fractious populace.
Perhaps enough politicians can break out of the GOP’s terminal orbit to form a new center-right party with a better commitment to small-d democratic norms. But as long as the Republicans are in the thrall of the far right, democracy itself is in danger.” -Commentary by Elle Dee Elle
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